In A Daughter's Eyes
by allamericangirl18
Summary: This story focuses on the drama filled life of E.J. and Sami's now sixteen-year-old daughter, Sydney. Join her as she deals with friends, family, boys, and the father she never knew...until now.
1. Characters

**Characters**

**Sydney Hernandez**- The sixteen-year-old biological daughter of Sami Brady-Hernandez and E.J. DiMera. Rafe Hernandez is her adoptive father. Sydney is a dark, curly-haired brunette and has brown eyes. She doesn't know that she's a DiMera. She is rebellious and is constantly figuring out some way to stir up trouble.

**Alice "Ali" Horton-** The seventeen-year-old daughter of Sami Brady-Hernandez and Lucas Horton. Ali is a Sami look-alike with blond hair and blue eyes. She is the calmer and more well-behaved of Sami's two daughters.

**Anthony DiMera-** The sixteen-year-old son of Tony and Anna DiMera. He's the new kid in school that Sydney quickly befriends though she is oblivious to their connection. Anthony has dark brown hair and dark brown eyes to match.

* Tony is Stefano's biological son so Anthony is an actual DiMera.

**Ciara Brady- **The seventeen-year-old daughter of Bo and Hope Brady. Ciara is best friends with Ali. She has black hair and blue eyes. She is extremely smart and, like her best friend, is pretty much a good girl.

**Tyler "Ty" Kiriakis- **The eighteen-year-old son of Phillip Kiriakis and Mimi Lockhart. He is very much the ladies man and it doesn't take him long to catch Sydney's eye. Ty has light brown hair and blue eyes.

**Theo Carver- **The eighteen-year-old son of Abe and Lexie Carver. He is light-skinned with black hair and dark brown eyes. Theo is best friends with Ty. He knows that Sydney is his cousin and tries to look out for her.

**Parker Kiriakis-** The sixteen-year-old son of Phillip Kiriakis and Chloe Lane. He's friends with Sydney and Anthony. Parker has medium brown hair and blue eyes. He's just an all-around good guy.

**Tiffany Black-** The sixteen-year-old daughter of Brady Black and Nicole Walker. Tiffany has blond hair and blue eyes. She is the queen bee at school and will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

*Those are all the kids of the main characters. One important thing to know is that Johnny "died" tragically as a child. Sami blamed E.J. and refused to let him near Sydney. E.J. signed over his rights and Rafe adopted her. Because Sydney was so young at the time, she is clueless to all of this.


	2. You Are Sixteen!

Beep. Beep. Beep…

Beep. Beep. Beep…

"Ugh!", Sydney Hernandez groaned as she lazily hit the snooze button on her alarm clock and closed her eyes again.

"Rise and shine! Come on, honey. It's time for school!", Sydney heard her mother call through the opening of her door.

She reluctantly opened her eyes and lifted herself from the bed. Ordinarily, she would at least brush her messy curls but this was just one of those days where she just didn't care. Moving at a snail's pace, she eventually made her way into the kitchen.

"Hey mom, look who finally decided to get up", Ali said as her sister came into view.

"It's about time. I swear you are the laziest child I have ever seen. Aren't teenagers supposed to be full of energy?", Sami asked teasingly.

Sydney shrugged with a look of disinterest on her face.

"Well, go ahead and eat something. You guys need to be getting to school", Sami chirped.

After she had finished her bowl of cereal, Sydney retreated to her room. With a quick glance through her closet, she tossed a denim mini-skirt and a turquoise sequin halter top onto her bed and changed. Once she had put her makeup on and fixed her hair, she was actually satisfied with her appearance.

"Wow. Look at you!", Ali exclaimed as Sydney walked into the room.

"You like it?"

"Yeah! You're gorgeous! Mom, come look at Sydney!"

Sami made her way back to the girls and almost froze when she saw Sydney.

"I don't think so!"

"What? Why not?", Sydney asked defensively.

"Because you are sixteen! I'm not letting you out of my house dressed like a hooker", Sami informed her.

"There isn't anything wrong with my outfit. Ali dresses like this all the time!"

"Mom, she's right. You never have anything to say about my clothes", Ali agreed.

"Ali is older and more mature", Sami explained.

"By like a year and a half!", Sydney practically yelled.

"I'm not discussing this right now. I'm the mom and what I say goes. Ali, will you please help your sister find something to wear that won't make her a rape target?"

"Come on", Ali sighed.

"You're so unfair!", Sydney screamed before following Ali down the hall.

Sami sighed. Her daughter just didn't understand why she was so protective of her. How could she? All she saw was her sister getting to do things that she couldn't. Sami had been there herself. She knew how it felt. And now she was doing it to Sydney. But when she saw her in that outfit, she realized just how grown up her daughter was. Sami wasn't ready for Sydney to grow up. She was her baby.

"Why is Mom so controlling with me but she lets you do whatever you want?", Sydney wondered aloud, more to herself than to Ali.

"I don't know. I guess it's because you're the youngest and all. You're the baby", Ali pointed out.

"Yeah. Except I'm not a baby anymore. I'm sixteen! I'm practically an adult. I'm old enough to have a kid of my own if I wanted."

"Syd, you just said it yourself. You're sixteen. Mom will eventually learn to let go. She just needs some time", Ali reasoned.

"Whatever", Sydney muttered.

"Ok. You get dressed and I'll go talk to Mom, ok?"

"Fine", Sydney relented.

Ali made her way back to the living room where her mother was sitting on the couch with her head buried in her hands.

"Mom? Are you ok?", she asked in an almost cautious manner.

Sami looked up quickly. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Do you think I was too hard on Sydney?"

"Honestly? Yeah…a little bit. It's not just this, Mom. You're always on her about something. I think the two of you need to have a good, long talk and just get everything straightened out", Ali suggested.

"Maybe that would be a good idea. I'll talk to her after school."

"Why can't you just talk to me now?", Sydney wondered as she made herself visible to her mother and sister.

Sami was stunned at how beautiful her youngest child really was. She was wearing faded blue jeans and a bright red T-shirt now and she looked just as gorgeous. Her baby really was growing up.

"Because the two of you need to be getting to school before you're late", Sami answered after collecting her composure.

"Ok, I'm going to go wait in the car", Ali said.

"Bye, honey. Have a good day", Sami called as Ali walked out.

Once she and Sydney were alone, Sami spoke. "I'm sorry. I know I'm hard on you sometimes. I don't mean to be. I just…you're my little girl."

"Mom, I'm always going to be your little girl", Sydney assured her.

"I know", Sami managed as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Ugh! Please don't cry! I hate it when you cry!"

Sami couldn't help but smile. "Baby, I can assure you that I hate seeing you cry a thousand times more than you hate seeing me cry."

Sydney smiled back. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too", Sami choked as she pulled Sydney into her arms.

"I guess I should probably go huh? But if you want me to stay home, I completely understand!", Sydney added quickly.

Sami laughed. "You wish!"

"Bye, Mom", Sydney called as she walked outside.

"Bye", Sami said softly.

After Sydney had left, Sami sat back down on the couch with a sigh. Not a day went by that Sami didn't contemplate being totally honest with Sydney. About everything. She had told herself many times that she would do it when Sydney was old enough to understand. But she didn't want anything to change. She was terrified of what would happen if Sydney found out the truth. The lie had lasted too long. If it was exposed now, there would be major repercussions for her whole family. Sami was going to do whatever it took to keep that from happening.


	3. My First Day

As Sydney walked through the doors of Salem High School, she felt an overwhelming feeling of independence. The previous two years, she had walked in with Ali. This time she was alone when she made her entrance. Her eyes searched the hallway for a familiar face until they finally came upon Parker Kiriakis, her best friend.

"Parker!", she exclaimed excitedly as she flung her arms around him.

"Hey! Look at you! You look great. How have you been?", he asked as he pulled back.

"I'm great now! I am so happy to see you. How are things going?", she wondered.

"Let's just say this summer has been very eventful", he revealed.

"Why? What happened?"

"Well, I met my long lost brother for the first time for starters. He's living with us now."

"Really? That's great! Do you like him?"

"He's ok, I guess. I really don't know him that well yet", Parker pointed out.

"Oh. I'm sure you guys will be the best of friends soon", Sydney said with an encouraging tone.

"Maybe. So how is everything with you?"

"Oh you know. Same old, same old. Me and my mom butted heads this morning. Nothing new", she said as Parker read a text on his phone.

"Uh I'm sorry, Syd. I got to take off. Meet you at lunch, right?"

"Um…ok", she agreed as she watched him disappear down the hall.

Outside in the parking lot, Ali was catching up with her own best friend, Ciara.

"So, I'm confused. Are you guys dating or not?", Ali enquired about her best friends on-again, off-again relationship.

"I don't know", Ciara sighed. "There are some times that I think we would be better off as friends, but there are other times when I just can't imagine not being with him."

"What do Uncle Bo and Aunt Hope think?", Ali wondered.

"Oh, they're fine with us being together. In fact, they've actually been really supportive", Ciara informed her.

"Wow. My mom would kill me if I told her I wanted to date a DiMera."

"Theo isn't technically a DiMera. Well, he kind of is. But at least, he doesn't have the name. I don't think my parents would be as supportive if he did. And Ciara Carver has a much better ring to it than Ciara DiMera does."

"You're already thinking about marrying him?", Ali asked with a surprised expression.

"Not now! But in the future…who knows?"

"Ciara, you're a Brady. Theo is a DiMera. That very fact only dooms you."

"If you want to be technical about it, I'm not even a Brady. I'm a Kiriakis", Ciara pointed out.

"So if Juliet was adopted and wasn't biologically a Capulet, would her and Romeo have had a chance?"

"How should I know?"

"No! How could you even be with someone who is part of such an evil family?"

"It isn't Theo's fault!", Ciara insisted.

"What isn't my fault?", Theo asked as he walked up from behind them.

"Oh it's nothing. I missed you", Ciara smiled as she turned around to face him.

"Missed you too", he smiled back.

"Oh really? How much?", she asked flirtatiously.

"I'll just have to show you later, won't I?"

"Yes you will", Ciara grinned.

"Um…ok. I'm just going to go find my sister. Make sure she hasn't gotten herself into any trouble yet", Ali said as an excuse to leave.

"Hey, how is Sydney?", Theo wondered.

"Oh. Um…she's fine", Ali answered before walking away.

"How do you know Ali's little sister?", Ciara asked.

"I don't. I've just heard some things, that's all", Theo lied.

His mom, Lexie, had told him to look out for Sydney since she was his biological cousin and all. Even though Sydney had no idea that they were of any relation. Neither did Ali apparently. And Theo wasn't going to be the one to drop the bomb.

After Sydney had gotten her schedule, she roamed the hall until she came to her locker. She began to load her books in and had just finished when she heard a voice behind her.

"Um…excuse me?"

She turned her head to see a boy standing in front of her. He was very good-looking with dark brown hair that could almost pass for black and haunting brown eyes that oddly enough, mirrored her own. Like herself, he also had a tan complexion. Strangely enough though, she didn't feel a romantic attraction.

"Yes?"

"Do you know where Mrs. Hunt's room is?", he wondered.

"Actually, that's my first class. You can walk with me."

"That would be great. This is my first day. I'm kind of lost to be honest", he admitted.

"I would've been too if I hadn't gotten my sister to give me a tour when I was a freshman. Sometimes, older siblings do come in handy", she joked.

"I wouldn't know. I'm an only child. Well, I do have an older sister, but there is an enormous age difference so I don't really know her that well. It's pretty much just me and my mom."

"What about your dad?", Sydney wondered.

"Oh, he died before I was born", the boy answered.

"I'm so sorry", she said softly.

"Thanks but I'm ok."

"You know…I just realized that I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Sydney…Sydney Hernandez", she smiled as she shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too. I'm Anthony… Anthony DiMera."


	4. My Dearest Daughter

"Di-DiMera?", Sydney stuttered.

"Yeah. I take it you're familiar with my family. Apparently, they're pretty famous around here. Actually infamous would probably be a better word", Anthony acknowledged.

Sydney bit her lip. For as long as she could remember, her family had ingrained it in her head that the DiMeras were the very face of evil. Now, one of them was standing in front of her. But Anthony didn't look evil. He looked like a normal guy. Maybe her family was wrong. Maybe there were good DiMeras too. And wasn't Theo related to them? She didn't know him very well but he had seemed like a nice guy. And he was apparently good enough for Ali's best friend to date. Maybe Anthony was a nice guy too.

"Yeah. Um…my mother is a Brady. I don't know how much you know about the Brady-DiMera feud…", she trailed off.

"Oh yeah. I've heard all of the stories. I'm a DiMera and even I think that most of the people in my family are jerks. But I've never met most of them so…"

"Have you ever met Stefano?"

"No. Not that I remember anyway."

"I've heard that he's pure evil", Sydney breathed.

"I have too. Believe me. My mom isn't exactly one of his biggest fans", Anthony said with a slight chuckle.

"So did Stefano start the feud or what? Why do our families hate each other so much?", she wondered.

"You never heard about the Santo/Colleen thing?"

"No. Who are they?"

"Santo DiMera was Stefano's father. Colleen Brady was Shawn Brady's older sister. Long story short- they fell in love. It was forbidden, obviously. He was married and she was in training to become a nun. Anyway, he got her pregnant. I bet you know who their son is", he revealed.

"No. Who?"

"John Black."

"Wait! John Black as in my mom's step dad? No way!", she gasped.

"Yeah. Anyway, Stefano held his father's indiscretion against the Brady's for decades."

"I cannot believe that my grandmother's husband is some kind of Brady/DiMera hybrid!", she exclaimed.

"I'm kind of surprised that you didn't know that already", he admitted.

"Me too. I can't imagine why nobody ever told me! That is huge! Wait a minute. If John is a DiMera, that means that his kids and their kids are DiMeras too. That would explain so much about Tiffany."

"Tiffany?"

"Tiffany Black. School snob. She has hated me for as long as I can remember. She is definitely one of the evil DiMeras."

At that moment, the bell rung over the loudspeakers.

"Looks like it's time for class. But I'm pretty sure the Brady-DiMera history is much more interesting than whatever we're learning in there", she smiled.

"I guess we should get going then", he suggested.

"Ok. Come on", she said as she led him down the hall.

While her kids were in school and her husband at work, Sami Hernandez was shuffling through the family's mail.

"Bill, bill, bill…", she sighed. Then, she came to a letter personalized to Sydney.

Sami knew it was wrong to peek into her daughter's mail. It was probably nothing anyway. But curiosity got the best of her. She pried the envelope open and took out the folded piece of paper that she opened up and began to read.

"My dearest daughter, it has been many years since I have attempted to get into contact with you", she started off.

"E.J. You have got to be kidding me!", she exclaimed furiously before continuing to read the letter.

"I do not know that you will get this letter, but I sincerely hope that you do. I honestly do not know how much you know about me…if anything. If I know your mother as well as I think I do, you probably don't even know that I'm your father. Let me start out by telling you who I am. My name is E.J. DiMera. You're probably horrified now because I have no doubt that the Bradys have told you nothing but bad things about my family…about your family. Because whether your mother likes it or not, you are a DiMera. I wish I could see you now. You're probably the most beautiful girl in the world. I remember the first time I held you. You were the center of my universe. You still are. I wish I could have been there all those years. I wish I could have been the one that you called "dad." Though I'm sure that Rafe is a far better one than I could ever hope to be. I hope you know that I have had a lot of regrets in my life- most of them concerning your mother. But you are not one of them. You and Johnny- you two were the only things that I ever got right. I made so many mistakes, Sydney. In all honesty, I probably didn't have any business being someone's father to begin with. I let your brother down in the worst way possible. I couldn't let something happen to you too. Your life became a thousand times safer the day I walked out of it. If you want to meet me, I would absolutely love to see you. To see the beautiful girl you've become. If you don't, I completely understand and I respect your wishes. Just do me one favor. Live your life to the fullest. Follow your dreams. Do it for me and for your mother. You are our legacy. The proof that for one brief moment in time, a Brady could love a DiMera. Your happiness is the most precious thing in the world to me. Just remember, no matter what, I love you. - Dad", Sami finished with tears freely flowing down her face.

She couldn't help but be affected by the letter. She knew she shouldn't be. She had heard all the talk from E.J. before. The fact that she fell for his games so easily is probably the reason Sydney existed in the first place. But he sounded so sincere. And there was a small part of her that wished that E.J. could see Sydney now. He was right. She was beautiful. And she looked just like him. It was impossible for Sami to look at Sydney and not see E.J. _The proof that for one brief moment in time, a Brady could love a DiMera._

"But what if I never stopped loving you?"


	5. Goodbye, Samantha

**A/N: I just want to warn everybody that this chapter is really sad. I know some of you are wondering what happened to Johnny so you're going to get a glimpse into what happened. And please don't hate me because I killed off a kid. Don't worry, he's not actually dead. Everybody just thinks he is. I just wanted the story focused on one kid and it would be more complicated with both of them. He'll be brought back later on…not right now though.**

"What is wrong with me? Of course, I stopped loving you. After all of the horrible things that you did to me. Why would I still care about you?", Sami wondered aloud.

With a sigh, she folded the letter and put it back into the envelope. She then slid it into the desk drawer. She wanted to keep it hidden until she could figure out what to do with it.

"Why are you doing this E.J.? Why now?"

Sami had never known what to expect where E.J. was concerned. Things would just be so much easier if she could hate him. If she could shred up the letter without feeling any remorse. After all that he's put her through, that is what he deserved. But she didn't hate him. In fact, as much as she tried to deny it, he would always have a place in her heart. Not that she would ever admit that to anyone.

Over the years, Sami had forgiven E.J. for many things. Most of them, he didn't deserve forgiveness for. There was the rape, him single handedly destroying her marriage to Lucas, then he lied about their marriage annulment after she was forced to marry him. Then, he had the nerve to marry her worst enemy! But the icing on the cake was when he had kidnapped their daughter, leaving Sami to believe that Sydney was dead. She didn't think she would ever be able to get past that, but somehow she did. She always assumed that she would eventually be able to forgive E.J. for anything. At least until that horrible day.

_Sami walked into the apartment with a bag of groceries in her hand. She immediately knew something had happened as Rafe was sitting on the couch with an almost frozen expression on his face with a shaken Sydney in his arms. Something was terribly wrong. Rafe was supposed to be at work and Sydney was supposed to be with E.J. She set the groceries on the counter as she could feel her arms start to shake._

"_Rafe? What's going on? I thought you were working", she said as calmly as she could while trying to convince herself that everything was probably fine._

_Rafe didn't respond. He only looked at her with a frozen stare. Sami walked over to the couch and picked Sydney up from him._

"_And what are you doing here, sweetheart? Aren't you supposed to be with Daddy today?"_

"_Rafe, what's going on?", she asked again to her husband._

"_Sit down, Sami", he forced himself to say. _

"_What? Why?"_

"_Please", he said in an almost pleading manner._

"_Um…ok", she agreed. With that, she sat down next to him with Sydney on her lap. "So, now will you tell me what's going on?"_

"_Sami, there was an accident…a fire", he revealed._

"_What? Where?"_

_Rafe took a deep breath before he answered. "The DiMera mansion."_

"_Oh no! Are you serious? Is everybody ok?", she asked with growing concern in her voice. Then a realization dawned on her. "That's why Sydney's here! She was trapped in there, wasn't she?"_

_Rafe nodded as a confirmation._

_Sami held her daughter tightly. Her baby had been trapped inside a burning house! She must have been so scared! _

"_Oh sweetheart. Thank goodness you're ok." Then, her attention turned back to Rafe. "Where's Johnny? Was he in there too? Is he still with E.J.?"_

_Rafe could feel his eyes start to water as he prepared to shatter his wife's heart into a million pieces. _

"_Sami, they couldn't get him out in time."_

_Sami froze. She couldn't have heard correctly. Was he implying that her son was dead? That just couldn't be possible. He had to have gotten out in time. He just had to!_

"_I'm so sorry, honey."_

"_No. No. No! Johnny had to have gotten out! Maybe you heard wrong. It was probably just a mistake", she tried to convince herself._

"_Sami…"_

"_No! There is no way that E.J. would have left Johnny behind. If E.J. got out, then Johnny had to have been with him!"_

"_E.J. wasn't in the house when it got caught on fire. He was in a meeting", Rafe said gently._

"_But what about Stefano?"_

"_He was gone too. Mary had managed to get Sydney outside. She thought that one of the other maids had gotten Johnny out. But apparently, the other maid had went upstairs for Johnny and got trapped. They couldn't get out. By the time the firefighters got up there, they were both burned beyond recognition."_

_Sami shook her head in denial. "No! NO! My baby! Not my baby!", she screamed as Rafe wrapped his arms around her and Sydney. "NOOO!"_

That had been the worst day of her life. It was literally months before she could smile again. And when she finally did, she felt an enormous pang of guilt wash over her. Her son was dead. How could she ever be happy again? She didn't want to blame E.J. for the fire. It wasn't his fault. But she couldn't help but think that if he had been there, Johnny would still be alive. So, she took it out on him. And eventually, she drove him away…for good.

"_What do you want from me, Samantha? Don't you think I wish that I had that day to do over? That it could've been me that died in that fire instead of our son?"_

"_It should've been you! You don't even deserve to call yourself a father!", Sami spat._

"_I loved my son more than anything!"_

"_And yet when he needed you…you were nowhere to be found."_

"_I'm sorry! Don't you think I hate myself enough for the both of us? I do, Samantha!", E.J. insisted._

"_Do you love Sydney?", she asked out of the blue._

"_What? Of course I do! What kind of question is that?"_

"_Then prove it, E.J. Walk away. Let her have a safe, normal life. I am begging you!"_

"_You want me to abandon my daughter? The only child I have left?"_

"_I want you to prove that you love her. Let me and Rafe raise her", Sami implored._

"_That would make your life just so much easier, wouldn't it? Not having me around to complicate your perfect little marriage."_

"_This isn't about my marriage. This is about my daughter!"_

"_Our daughter, Samantha. I am her father and you cannot just push me out of her life."_

"_It is too dangerous to be a DiMera. I don't want that for Sydney, do you?", she wondered._

"_No", he sighed._

"_Then, sign these", Sami said as she pulled out some papers from her bag._

"_You want me to sign over my rights as Sydney's father. You want Rafe to adopt her, don't you?, he asked with pain glaring through his eyes._

"_He can give her something you never could. Stability. Our daughter needs that, E.J. For once in your life, can you please put her above yourself?"_

_E.J. took a deep breath. "Do you have a pen?"_

_Sami pulled one out of her purse. As a tear rolled down his face, E.J. signed his name on the dotted line. _

"_Thank you", she breathed. "I really am sorry it had to come to this."_

"_Me too", he agreed. "Goodbye Samantha." _

_With that, he walked out the door and out of her life…for good._

Sami had wondered many times if she had done the right thing. She hadn't realized back then how cruel she was being, ripping E.J. away from his only remaining child. But it was far too late for second thoughts now. And Rafe was a really good dad, after all. They had given Sydney a good life, hadn't they? She was a normal, well-adjusted teenager. For the most part anyway. Sami's stubbornness and E.J.'s temper had the tendency to get Sydney into trouble from time to time. But underneath it all, she had a heart of gold and Sami couldn't have been a more proud mom. But there were times when she just had to wonder. "Did I do the right thing?"


	6. Love at First Sight

When it was time for lunch, Sydney made her way into the cafeteria where her dark eyes searched for Parker. "Syd! Over here!", a voice called. She looked to see her best friend waving from a table near the corner of the room. She grabbed a tray and made her way to the table.

"Hey! How's it going?", he asked as she sat down.

"Let's see. History sucks, English is ok, and Algebra needs to go jump off a cliff somewhere and never be heard from again."

Parker couldn't help but laugh. Sydney had harbored a hatred for math for as long as he could remember.

"What about you?", she asked as she took a bite out of the sandwich on her plate.

"Everything's going pretty good so far. But I have Chemistry next so that might be kind of hard."

"Might be? I wouldn't survive a semester in there! But you're like ten times smarter than me so you might actually make it out alive", she smiled.

"Oh come on. You're smart. I mean you're good at English, right? And you got the award in Law last year!", he pointed out.

"How could I forget? My mom took like a hundred pictures. She couldn't believe I finally got an award in something."

"Yeah. Remember when they called your name and your whole family like went crazy!"

"I know! They're so embarrassing sometimes!", she giggled.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sydney caught sight of Anthony walking out of the line.

"Anthony! Over here!", she called.

"Who's Anthony?", Parker wondered.

"Just a guy I met today. He's new here", she informed him as Anthony made his way to the table.

"Hey", Anthony smiled as he sat down next to Sydney.

"Hey. Anthony, this is my friend, Parker Kiriakis. Parker, this is Anthony DiMera", she said introducing them.

"Nice to meet you", Anthony said.

"You too", Parker replied. "So, you're related to the DiMeras, huh?"

"Yeah. But, don't worry. I'm not evil or anything", Anthony joked.

"Hey, I can't say anything. My grandma is married to Stefano."

"Really? Kate's your grandma?"

"Yep."

"Oh my goodness. Parker!", Sydney interrupted.

"What?"

"You're not going to believe what I found out. You know John, right? My grandma's husband?", Sydney started.

"Uh yeah. What about him?", Parker wondered.

"He is the illegitimate love child of Santo DiMera and Colleen Brady", she revealed.

"A Brady and a DiMera having a kid together? Yeah right… and who are Santo and Colleen anyway?"

"Santo was Stefano DiMera's father. Colleen was my great-grandpa Shawn's older sister. They had a secret affair and that's how they had John."

"It's actually true", Anthony confirmed.

"Whoa. Talk about crazy!", Parker breathed.

"I know. I couldn't believe it! Talk about a bombshell! A Brady and a DiMera…"

"Tiffany!", Parker gasped. "That would mean Tiffany is related to the Bradys and the DiMeras! So she's related to all three of us!"

"Ugh! I didn't even think about that!", Sydney groaned.

"Who is this Tiffany anyway?", Anthony asked.

Sydney looked around the cafeteria until she found the table with all the preppy cheerleaders.

"See the girl at that table right there? Long blond hair. Really fake tan. Got a sequin headband on."

"Oh ok. So she's the one you don't like, huh?"

Parker laughed. "Don't like? That would be the understatement of the century!"

"Ok, it's not my fault that she's a stuck up snob that thinks she's better than everybody else just because she's a freakin Kiriakis! See, Parker's a Kiriakis and he isn't like that! I mean what is her deal?", Sydney ranted.

"See what I mean", Parker grinned.

"Hey, do you guys know Theo Carver?", Anthony wondered.

"Not that well. But he's dating my sister's best friend. Why?", Sydney asked.

"He's my cousin."

"Oh, ok. I knew he was related to the DiMeras somehow", she commented as she looked over at the table Theo, Ciara, and Ali were all at.

But with them was a guy she had never seen before. He had light brown hair and piercing blue eyes that she could make out from across the room. He was laughing and he had dimples when he smiled just like Parker did. She didn't realize that she was staring until he looked her way and his blue eyes met her brown ones. And he smiled at her. Her lips trembled as she smiled back.

"Sydney? Sydney? SYDNEY?", Parker finally yelled.

She turned around quickly. "Oh sorry."

"Where were you just now?"

"Um…I don't know. Is that guy next to Theo new?", she wondered.

"Yeah. That's my brother…Ty", Parker informed her.

"That's your brother?", she gasped.

"Yeah."

Now that Sydney thought about it, there was quite a resemblance between Parker and his brother. They both had bright blue eyes. They had identical smiles with dimples to match. It made sense. She couldn't help but look back one more time. He was so hot! But deep down, she knew she wasn't the type of girl for a guy like him. He was the kind of guy that would probably go for a girl like Tiffany. Well maybe not Tiffany since they were related and all. But somebody who was beautiful and popular and most definitely not her. With a sigh, she turned back around.

After she had turned around, Ty looked at her again. Though he could only see her curly dark hair now. He had no idea who the girl was or why he was so drawn to her. And he didn't even know her name.

"Ty? You ok, man?", Theo asked.

"Uh…yeah. Do you know that girl right there? Curly brown hair? Red shirt?", Ty wondered.

"That's my little sister…Sydney", Ali revealed.

"Sydney…", Ty smiled as he looked at her again.

"Do you like her?", Ciara asked teasingly.

"What? No! I don't even know her!"

"Well, I'm just letting you know in advance. My step dad does have a shotgun and he knows how to use it", Ali warned. "Him and my mom are very protective of Sydney."

"It sucks being the youngest. I would know. But Sami takes overprotective to a whole new level where Sydney's concerned", Ciara stated.

"Why are they so protective of her and not you?", Ty asked Ali curiously.

"Who knows? Mom had a fit about Sydney's outfit this morning and it wasn't even that bad. She's just weird. I don't know", Ali replied.

"Look, man, you just moved to a whole new town, right? And you're just getting to know everybody and connecting with your family and everything. Don't you think you should give it some time before you get in a relationship?", Theo suggested.

"Dude, I didn't say I was getting in a relationship anytime soon. You guys just need to chill."

"Oh come on, Ty. We all saw the way you were staring at Sydney", Ciara smiled.

"Well, she was staring at me too!", Ty pointed out.

"Dude, why don't you just go talk to her?", Theo wondered.

"Fine", Ty agreed as he stood up and walked away.

"I can't believe he's actually doing it!", Ciara gasped as the trio looked on.

Across the room, Parker noticed his brother walking toward them.

"Hey Ty!", he called.

Sydney glanced behind her. Was he coming over there? She quickly tried to smooth her hair without making it obvious to Parker and Anthony. Her heart felt like it was about to pound out of her chest.

"Hey", Ty said as he took a seat next to Parker and in front of Sydney.

"Hey, how's everything going?", Parker asked.

"Good so far. It helps that I have so many long lost relatives here", Ty replied.

"Yeah. Well, this is my friend, Sydney Hernandez and this is Anthony DiMera. Guys, this is my brother, Ty", Parker introduced them.

"Nice to meet you", Ty said as he flashed a smile at Sydney.

"You too", she said shyly.

"So, do you like it here?", Parker wondered.

"Yeah", Ty replied with his eyes still on Sydney. "I think I'm really going to be happy here."

At that moment, the bell rang signaling the end of lunch.

"Ok, I'll see you guys later", Parker called as he took off.

"Alright. Bye, Sydney", Anthony said before he left the cafeteria too.

"Bye", she called as she grabbed her purse.

She started to leave before Ty grabbed her arm and she turned around to face him. For a brief moment, they stared into each other's eyes. Sydney hoped that he couldn't hear her rapid heartbeat.

"Do you believe in love at first sight?", Ty asked before thinking.

At that moment, he felt like smacking himself in the head. Did he seriously just say that?

Sydney was speechless. What was she supposed to say to that? Ultimately, she decided to take a chance.

"Yeah…I do. See you later, Ty", she smiled before walking away.

Ty watched as she disappeared from his sight. He didn't know what it was about her that he was so attracted to. She was beautiful obviously, but there was something else…something deeper. When their eyes had met, it was like something just clicked. He didn't know what yet, but the one thing he did know was that he wanted Sydney Hernandez. He could only hope that she felt the same way.


	7. A DiMera is a DiMera

After school had ended, Sydney and Ali arrived back at the apartment.

"Ok, what's the deal? You barely said a word the whole drive home. Did something happen?", a concerned Ali asked.

"What? No! I'm just tired. You know how it is the first day", Sydney answered.

"I guess but I don't usually have that dreamy look on my face after being at school for eight hours."

"What dreamy look? I don't have a dreamy look!"

"Yes you do…and I think I know why", Ali teased.

"Why what?", Sami asked as she entered the living room.

"Why Sydney has had that dreamy look on her face ever since we left school", Ali replied.

"Mom, I have no idea what she's talking about", Sydney lied.

"Ok ok. You keep telling yourself that and I'm going to go take a shower", Ali said as she retreated to the bathroom.

"Ok, what's going on?", Sami wondered.

"It's nothing!", Sydney assured her.

"And why do I not believe that?"

"Ok, I met a guy…a really hot guy!", Sydney squealed.

"Really? What's his name?"

"Ty Kiriakis."

"Wait. You mean Philip Kiriakis' son?", Sami asked in disbelief. What a small world this was.

"Yeah. I didn't know he was Parker's brother when I first saw him. And Mom, you're not going to believe what he asked me!"

"What?"

"Do I believe in love at first sight?"

"Are you serious? What did you say?"

"That I did! Mom, I think he might like me!", Sydney exclaimed.

"Of course he does! How could he not? You're perfect", Sami smiled.

"You have to say that."

"Yeah…but I still believe it. So, did anything else exciting happen today?"

"Not really. Oh yeah, it did! Mom, did you know that John is a DiMera?", Sydney asked.

Sami froze. How in the world did Sydney know that?

"Yes, I did. But who told you?", Sami asked carefully.

"Anthony. I just met him today but he's really nice and…"

"Wait. Anthony who?", Sami interrupted.

"DiMera", Sydney answered.

That was the word Sami was dreading. The last thing she wanted was for her daughter to be hanging around with a DiMera. Who was Anthony anyway?

"Did he tell you who his parents are?", Sami asked curiously.

"Uh…no. I just met him. How would I possibly know that?"

"I was just curious. It doesn't matter though. I don't want you hanging out with him."

"What? Why not?"

"Because he's a DiMera, Sydney. They're nothing but trouble", Sami explained.

"How do you know? You don't know him! You can't just judge somebody by their last name. That's not fair!"

"No, it isn't. But that's how it works sometimes. A DiMera is a DiMera. I don't want that kind of influence on you."

"Just because Anthony has DiMera blood doesn't make him a bad person. And what about Theo…he's a DiMera too! They can't help who their family is", Sydney tried to reason.

"I know that but you're just going to have to trust me on this."

"Well, I don't! And what about John, huh? He's a DiMera and a Brady! Does that mean that we should hate him even though he's technically related to us too?"

"John is the exception, not the rule. Why can't you just understand where I'm coming from?", Sami wondered.

"Why can't you understand where I'm coming from? Why do we have to hate anybody whose last name is DiMera?"

"Because they tortured our family for decades, Sydney! You don't know what we've been put through because of them!"

"Whatever. The bottom line is that you don't get to choose my friends. I'll hang out with Anthony if I want to and you can't stop me!", Sydney said defiantly.

"How dare you talk to me like that? I'm your mother and you will do what I say!", Sami demanded.

"Oh yeah? And what if I don't? What are you gonna do…send me off to boarding school?"

At that moment, Rafe walked through the door.

"You know, I just might!"

"Whoa…what's going on?", he asked.

"Nothing. I'm going to my room", Sydney decided and she left the room.

"Ok, now what's really going on?", Rafe wondered.

"Sydney made a new friend today", Sami informed him in a sarcastic manner.

"So, that's good…isn't it?"

"That friend's name is Anthony DiMera."

"Who is that?"

"I don't know but apparently he's a DiMera and that's all I need to know. I told her I didn't want her hanging around with him and she basically let me have it about how I had no reason to hate Anthony and how John was a DiMera and we didn't hate him and…"

"Wait! How does Sydney know about John?"

"Anthony told her", Sami replied.

"Oh boy. That's all we need. So, now she's mad with you right?"

"Yes. Rafe, when I heard her say DiMera, it was like they got back in our lives without even being on the same continent."

"Sami, the DiMeras are gone for good. You don't have to worry about them anymore", Rafe assured her.

"They're not gone for good though. That's the thing. Because whoever this Anthony kid is has brought them back into our lives. And then there's Sydney", Sami sighed.

"What about Sydney?"

"Their blood is running through her veins", she said quietly. "I've hated the DiMeras for as long as I can remember and then I went and gave birth to one! I am such a hypocrite!"

"No, you aren't. Sydney may share their DNA but she is not a DiMera", Rafe assured her.

"That's the thing. I have to make sure it stays that way. And if she's hanging around one all the time…"

"Look, maybe this Anthony kid is harmless. Who do you think his parents could be?", Rafe asked.

"I don't know. But if I found out, I would probably know just how harmless he is."

"Ok, I'll get on that but I think it would be best if we just let Sydney be friends with whoever she wants for the time being…at least until we have a reason to say otherwise."

"Rafe, what if he knows? Too many people know already. What if he says something to her?"

"I don't know. But if we try to isolate Sydney from all of her friends, she is going to hate us. If Anthony does know, we just have to trust that he won't say anything", Rafe sighed.

"How can we trust some kid that we don't even know? How can this be happening? I thought when E.J. left, we would be able to live a semi-normal life!", Sami lamented.

"We have lived a normal life for a long time. But Sydney's older now. This secret that we've got hanging over our heads is going to get harder and harder to keep."

"I know. Rafe, if Sydney ever finds out…she is never going to forgive us. I can't lose her!"

"We aren't going to lose her. Because she isn't going to find out. We're probably worrying for no reason. And everyone that knows about Sydney wouldn't say anything. They would have no reason to."

"What about Anthony? What if he knows the truth and what if he decides to tell her?", she wondered.

"It's going to be ok, Sami. No matter what happens. We aren't going to lose her", he vowed as he pulled her into a comforting embrace.

Unbeknownst to them, Ali quietly moved away from the wall. She had never been one to eavesdrop and now she was seriously regretting it. But she had heard Rafe talking about a secret and apparently that secret was about her sister! But what secret could possibly involve Sydney? And why were they so worried about losing her? And who was Anthony and what did he know about Sydney that they didn't want Sydney to find out? She quietly made her way back to her room and closed the door behind her with a confused look on her face.

"So, what are you guys hiding?"


	8. I've Been Thinking About You

The next morning was a tense one as Sydney was still upset with Sami. Rafe had tried to no avail to ease some of the tension between them. Ali was still thinking about the conversation she had overheard the night before as the four of them sat at the table eating, and she was more confused than ever.

"Okay, what is going on?", she blurted out.

"What do you mean?", Sami asked.

"I mean, what are you and Sydney so mad about?"

"Nothing. Everything's fine", Sami assured her.

"No. You want to know what's going on? Mom has apparently decided that she can choose who I can be friends with and who I can't", Sydney said bitterly.

"I'm trying to look out for you!", Sami insisted.

"No, you're trying to have total and complete control over my life!"

"Here we go again", Rafe mumbled beneath his breath.

"Why do you care who Sydney is friends with?", Ali wondered.

"Can we not discuss this now?", an agitated Sami asked.

"No. Let's discuss this now. And we'll see what Ali thinks. Ok, Ali, Ciara is dating Theo right?" Ali nodded. "And Theo is a DiMera, right?"

"Yeah. What does Theo have to do with anything?"

"He doesn't. Ok, so I met a guy yesterday and he's a DiMera too. And Mom here has forbidden me to be friends with him even though he's a really nice guy and she doesn't know a thing about him."

"Why?", Ali asked turning to her mother.

"I don't have to explain myself to either of you. It isn't my fault that your sister is determined to do the opposite of what I say", Sami defended.

"If you just met Anthony, you would see that he's a nice guy!", Sydney insisted.

Anthony? Wasn't that who Rafe and her mom were talking about last night? Something about how he knew something about Sydney? Ali was more curious than ever.

"He might be but he's still a DiMera, Sydney!"

"Ugh! You're impossible!", she screamed as she stood up."Ali, are you ready to go?"

"Uh…yeah. I guess we'll see you guys after school", Ali said as she and Sydney left.

They arrived a short time later and Sydney was still angry about the incident.

"I mean, who does she think she is? She cannot tell me who I can and cannot be friends with! And she doesn't do that with you! Why is she so freakin' obsessed with controlling my life?", she ranted as she and Ali walked out into the courtyard.

"Ok, Sydney, you haven't shut up since we left. Just calm down, ok?", Ali said as they sat down on the concrete bench.

"I just don't get it. Why does Mom hate the DiMeras so much? I know we've never got along with them but with her, it seems so personal. I bet she's never even gotten to know one before."

"Or maybe she did", Ali said slowly.

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe Mom has had personal experiences with them before."

"Are you insinuating that our mother was involved with a DiMera?", Sydney asked in disbelief.

"It isn't very likely but that would explain why she is so adamant about you staying away from Anthony. If…and that's a big if…she was involved with one, maybe she's bitter about how it ended."

"But if she was, wouldn't we know about it?"

"Not necessarily. She did have a life before us", Ali pointed out.

"That's kind of hard to believe. But…no! Come on. She hates the DiMeras. There is no way she would fall for one."

"You're probably right. That was a crazy idea anyway. I mean, a Brady and a DiMera? Lightning doesn't strike the same place twice. But I still can't believe the whole Santo-Colleen thing."

"I know. Completely crazy, right?"

"Yeah. But it's kind of romantic in a way. The whole Romeo and Juliet thing."

"I hope I have a love like that", Sydney admitted.

"You will…in fact, you may be closer than you realize", Ali smiled as she looked in the direction of Ty and Theo who were chatting a couple feet away.

Sydney could feel herself start to blush. "How do you know?"

"Because Ty was talking about you at lunch yesterday."

"He was?", Sydney asked excitedly.

"Yeah. The whole reason he went over there was to meet you", Ali informed her.

"Really? Do you think he likes me?"

"I think he definitely felt some kind of attraction to you. And apparently, you did too."

"So, what do I do?", Sydney asked.

"You could go talk to him", Ali suggested.

"Are you crazy? I can't just go over there!"

"Theo is with him. It isn't like you would be by yourself."

"I don't want to make myself look stupid!", Sydney lamented.

"You won't. Look, I will be sitting right here and if you need me, you can give me some kind of signal and I'll go over there."

"Like what?"

"Um…ok, you can put your hand behind your back and hold up your pinky", Ali suggested.

"Ok", Sydney agreed reluctantly. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes. Trust me, Syd. He likes you."

Sydney took a deep breath and stood up. "Wish me luck."

"You don't need it", Ali smiled as Sydney slowly made her way over to the area where Ty and Theo were standing.

Sydney's heart was racing. She couldn't believe she was about to do this.

"Um…hi", she said shakily as she walked up from behind them.

"Uh…hi", Ty said with surprise in his voice.

"Hey Sydney", Theo smiled. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah…I've been around. I just thought I would come say hi."

"You look great", Ty blurted out. She had been gorgeous in casual clothes but she was a knockout in the white mini-dress she was currently wearing that was a perfect contrast to her tan complexion.

"Um…thanks. So do you", Sydney replied. Theo grinned. He knew exactly what was going on.

"Ok, I'm going to go find Ciara. I'll see you later, man. Take care, Sydney."

"You too", she replied as he walked away.

"So…I've been thinking about you", Ty admitted.

"Really? I have too. Been thinking about you, I mean", Sydney clarified.

"It's kind of crazy, huh? I mean, we just met. I don't know anything about you. I don't know anything about your family life or what your favorite foods are or what you like to do on the weekend. But I know how I feel when I look at you. And I want to get to know you. But only if that's what you want."

"I feel the same way", she breathed.

"So, do you maybe want to do something tonight? We could go eat somewhere or go to a movie. Whatever you want."

"Yeah. I'd love to. Do you know where I live?"

"No, could you write down the address and your phone number?", he asked as he pulled a sheet of paper out of his notebook.

As Sydney began to write on the paper, Ali looked on with a smile spread across her face. It was so obvious that Ty and Sydney liked each other.

"Hey Ali. Have you seen Sydney?", Parker asked as he approached her along with a dark- haired boy she had never seen before.

"Yeah but she's kind of busy at the moment", Ali said as she pointed to Ty and Sydney who were both laughing about something.

"Why is she with my brother?", Parker wondered.

"Well, apparently Sydney is very attracted to Ty and he's obviously attracted to her too", Ali answered.

"No way. Sydney has a thing for my brother? She just met him!", Parker pointed out.

"Hey! This isn't a one-sided thing. He likes her too."

Then, Ali noticed the guy standing beside Parker.

"I'm sorry. I don't think we've met. My name is Ali Horton", she smiled as she extended her hand to him. "It's nice to meet you."

He smiled back as he shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you too. My name's Anthony…Anthony DiMera."

Ali's eyes widened. So this was the mysterious Anthony? Then, she remembered her mother's words. _What about Anthony? What if he knows the truth and what if he decides to tell her? _Did he know something about Sydney? If he did, she had to find out what it was.

"Well, Anthony, I have a feeling you and I are going to be good friends."


	9. Tiffany Being Tiffany

The school day had passed rather quickly for Ty. He couldn't concentrate on anything in any of his classes. All he could think about was Sydney and how he could make that night the best date ever. He had a couple ideas, but he knew he would need help to pull it off. He eventually made his way into the Kiriakis living room where Tiffany was sitting in a chair with her legs draped over the side reading a magazine. She moved the magazine to reveal her face when she noticed him come in.

"Where have you been?", she asked with a disinterested look on her face.

"I took a drive after school let out. Needed some time to think", he answered.

"Think about what?"

"I have a date tonight."

"Really? Who's the lucky girl?", she wondered.

"Sydney Hernandez."

"Sydney Hernandez? Are you kidding me? Ty, she's a nobody", Tiffany pointed out.

"Why? Because she's not a rich cheerleader?"

"You know she's probably going after you for your money. Total gold digger."

"How do you know? You don't even know her. And I happen to really like her."

"Why? What is there to like?", she asked.

"Whatever. Look, I know you and Sydney don't like each other but you don't get a say in who I date. I care about you, ok? You're family. But frankly, you're acting like a spoiled brat."

"I don't see it that way. I see it as me trying to stop you from making a big mistake. You can do so much better than her!", she insisted.

"That's not for you to decide, Tiffany! I like her and I will date her if I want to!", he asserted.

"What's going on?", Parker asked as he came down the stairs.

"Just Tiffany being Tiffany", Ty answered.

"Hey, excuse me for trying to look out for you!", Tiffany snapped.

"Parker, you've been friends with Sydney for how long…your whole life? She's a good person, right?"

"Yeah. What does Sydney have to do with anything?", Parker wondered.

"Ty here is taking her out tonight and I've been trying to get through to him that that is not a good idea. But of course, he's too stubborn to listen", Tiffany revealed.

"You're going out with Sydney?", Parker asked in disbelief.

"Don't tell me you have a problem with it too. You're friends with her!"

"No, I just…just be careful with her. Ok, I know she doesn't come off this way, but she can be very fragile sometimes. I don't want to see her get hurt."

"I'm not going to hurt her", Ty assured him.

"I still think you're making a huge mistake", Tiffany muttered as she tucked a loose strand of blond hair behind her ear.

"Well, I don't. And even if it is, it's my mistake to make."

At that moment, an annoyed Philip walked into the room carrying his five-year-old daughter, Victoria…or Tori as they called her, in his arms. She was the result of his latest failed attempt at a relationship with Chloe.

"What's going on in here? I can hear you guys from the kitchen."

"I'm going on a date tonight", Ty informed him.

"Really? That's great! What's her name?", Philip asked.

"Dad, it's Sydney", Parker said.

"Sydney…as in your friend Sydney?"

Parker nodded.

"Sydney's a nice girl. I can see why you like her", Philip smiled at Ty.

"Yeah. I'm taking her out and I want to do something special but I just don't know what yet."

"Oh, ok. You know, I think I might be able to help you out with that."

"Really? Do you have something in mind?"

"Yeah. And I think Sydney will definitely be swept off her feet", Philip grinned.

"You could take that girl to McDonalds and she would be swept off her feet", Tiffany smirked.

"Could you be any less supportive?", Ty wondered.

"Yes. I think I could be", she answered.

"Daddy, I'm hungry", Tori complained.

"You are? Ok, why don't you let Parker and Tiffany go fix you something to eat?", he implored as he pushed her light brown hair out of her face.

"Ok", she agreed before running into Tiffany's arms. Ty smiled at his little sister as Tiffany picked her up. Tori was the one person who was capable of breaking Tiffany's ice queen persona.

"Come on, princess. Let's go find you something to eat", Tiffany smiled as she carried Tori into the kitchen with Parker following behind.

"I don't like this one bit", she lamented once she and Parker had gotten Tori settled.

"I don't either, but I think my reasons are probably way different from yours", Parker admitted.

"Well, your reasons are very transparent if you ask me. You're scared of Ty hurting her…are you kidding me? Please don't tell me you've got a thing for this girl too!"

"What? No! Come on. Sydney and I have been friends forever…and that's all."

"I bet. My theory is that you've secretly liked her for a long time but you were too scared to say anything. And now it's too late because she's with Ty. Am I warm?"

"No, Tiffany. As usual, you have no idea what you're talking about."

The conversation was interrupted with a loud shattering noise. Tiffany and Parker both turned toward Tori who was almost in tears.

"Tori, what did you do?", Parker asked as they rushed over.

"I'm s-s-sorry", she trembled as she pointed to the broken plate on the floor.

"Oh, sweetie. It's ok. We'll get it cleaned up", Tiffany said as she tried to soothe the child.

"My a-arm h-hit it and it f-fell", Tori stammered.

"It's ok. Do you have any idea how many things me and Parker have broken over the years?", Tiffany smiled.

"A lot", Parker grinned. "I guess clumsiness runs in the family."

"Please don't tell Daddy!", Tori begged.

"Don't worry, sweetie. Your secret's safe with us", Tiffany assured as she pulled Tori into a hug.

Parker smiled. Now why couldn't Tiffany be like this all the time?

Back in the living room, Philip and Ty were discussing Ty's upcoming date and Ty was growing more nervous.

"Are you sure this isn't too over the top?", he asked uneasily.

"Nah. What girl doesn't love being treated like a princess?", Philip assured him.

"That's true", Ty decided.

"Well, I guess you should probably be getting ready."

"Yeah. I guess so", he agreed as he stood up.

"Good luck", Philip smiled.

"Thanks…for everything", Ty said gratefully before making his way upstairs.

Once he was alone, he sat on the edge of the bed and tried to calm himself down.

"Please don't let me blow this", he whispered as he began to get ready.


	10. Have Fun, Syd

As she stared at her reflection in her bedroom mirror, Sydney's heart began to beat faster. She shouldn't be this nervous. Should she? She hoped that her sparkling royal blue dress wasn't too over the top. But she had no idea where Ty was taking her and she didn't want to be underdressed. When he had called earlier, he made it seem big. She just hoped that she was dressed for the occasion. Her hair was swept up into a side ponytail to reveal her best diamond earrings that matched the necklace she was wearing.

"You look beautiful", Sami smiled as she walked into the room.

"You really think so?", Sydney asked with a hint of insecurity in her voice.

"Absolutely."

There was an awkward silence before Sami spoke again.

"I'm sorry we haven't been getting along lately. I know that I can be unreasonable at times and I'm sorry for that. I just hope you realize how much I love you. And that I'm only trying to look out for you."

"I know. And I love you too, Mom. But sometimes, you just have to trust me to make my own decisions."

"I do trust you, honey. I just worry about you. I know how impulsive you can be. You do things without thinking them through first", Sami pointed out.

"I wonder where I get that from", Sydney said with a slight smile.

"Point taken. So, where is Ty taking you? It's obviously somewhere very nice. But I better not find out that the Kiriakis jet went anywhere with you on it."

"Again with the trusting me to make my own decisions. Don't worry. I don't plan on leaving the country tonight", Sydney assured her.

"I know. I can't believe how fast you grew up. It seems like just yesterday that I was tucking you in bed and reading you bedtime stories. Now, you're all grown up", Sami said as she tried to hold back tears.

"I guess I am, huh? But no matter how old I am, I'm always going to need my mom."

"And she's always going to need you", Sami said tearfully as she pulled her daughter into a hug.

"Ok. Enough of all this emotional stuff", Sydney decided. "I can't decide which shoes to wear."

"Ok, well you want something comfortable, but it needs to look fabulous at the same time", Sami informed her as they sorted through the shoes.

While Sydney was trying to decide which shoes to wear, Ali was in the living room making a cryptic phone call.

"Hi, it's Ali. I'm sorry to bother you. Look, I was wondering if you would mind meeting me tonight?"

"It needs to be somewhere private. How about the docks?"

"I know, but no one can know that I'm there."

"Ok. I'll see you in an hour", she said just as Rafe came in.

"You'll see who in an hour?", he asked curiously.

"Ciara. We're going to the mall later. They have a huge shoe sale going on", Ali lied.

"A huge shoe sale, huh? You do realize you're probably going to have to take your sister. But please don't let her get a hold of my credit card again."

"Oh, Sydney isn't going. She has a date tonight", she informed him.

"A date? With who?", he demanded.

"Ty. My cousin. But don't worry. He's a really nice guy", Ali assured him.

"Rafe? I thought I heard you", Sami remarked as she came into the room.

"Sydney is going on a date tonight? How am I just now finding out about this?", Rafe asked in an irritated tone.

"Because it just happened. It was a spur of the moment thing. But you have to see her. She looks gorgeous. Sydney, come here!", Sami called.

A few seconds later, she walked into the room with a grin plastered onto her face.

"You look so pretty!", Ali gushed.

"I don't like this. Isn't she too young to be dating? Do we know anything about this boy?", Rafe asked Sami.

"Dad, you just need to chill out, ok? Ty is a great guy. And I really like him."

"You might think that, but you barely know him. Ali doesn't even know him that well.

Maybe you should wait a little while before you just jump into something", Rafe suggested.

"Well, Ciara and I are about to go jump into a shoe sale so I'll see you guys later", Ali said as she grabbed her bag.

"Have fun, Syd. But not too much", she added before leaving.

"I didn't know there was a shoe sale today. Usually, those things are marked on my calendar days in advance", Sydney commented.

"Maybe it was a spur of the moment thing like your little date. Do teenagers not know the meaning of taking it slow?", Rafe sighed.

"It's going to be ok", Sami assured him.

"Yes, everything is going to be fine. And when he gets here, please do not grill him or do anything else to embarrass me", Sydney begged.

"What could we possibly do to embarrass you?", Sami asked innocently.

"Please don't", Sydney pleaded as rapping on the door was heard.

"Hi", she said with a smile as she opened the door for Ty who was decked out in a black tuxedo. At least she wasn't underdressed.

"Hi. Wow, you look beautiful. Oh, and these are for you", he smiled as he handed her a bouquet of roses.

"Awww. Thank you. Come on in. These are my parents. Please don't let them scare you away", she said as she went to get a vase for the flowers.

"So, you must be Ty. I'm Sami and this is Rafe", Sami said as they shook hands.

"Nice to meet you", Ty smiled.

"So, Ty, how about we have a little chat?", Rafe suggested as he sat down.

"Um…ok", Ty agreed as he and Sami sat down too.

"So, first of all, where are you taking Sydney?", Rafe asked as Sydney came back into the room.

"Dad, I thought we agreed. No grilling", she reminded him.

"Just take care of her", Rafe told Ty.

"I will", Ty assured them as he and Sydney left.

Meanwhile, Ali was sitting alone on the docks when she heard a voice behind her.

"So, I'm here. What's this about?"

She stood up to face the figure that she could barely make out in the darkness.

"I need your help."


	11. Just One Kiss

**A/N: So I know I haven't updated this story in a while. (Okay, a few YEARS) Because my old computer crashed a while back and by the time I finally got a new one, I didn't really have the inspiration to write anymore. But it has just recently returned and so I want to try to finish what I started. Plus, rereading what I've done so far, I feel like my writing has improved a good bit since then. So I'm excited to try this again.**

**Important to note: a lot of stuff on the show has changed since I updated this story last, but none of it will carry over.**

* * *

><p>"So, do you want to tell me what's going on now?" Anthony asked curiously.<p>

Ali sighed and sat down on a bench. Anthony sat next to her. "It's my sister. I'm worried about her," she admitted.

"Sydney? Is she alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine," Ali replied quickly. "I know this is going to sound strange, but I overheard my mom and my stepdad talking about some kind of secret that they don't want Sydney finding out. They said if she found out, they could lose her. I'm really worried, Anthony."

He looked confused. "Okay. And you want me to help you find out what this secret is, right?"

"They're afraid you already know what it is," Ali informed him.

Anthony suppressed a laugh. "What? How would I know about Sydney's parents keeping something from her? I practically just met her!"

"I know. It doesn't make any sense."

He looked at the deeply concerned blonde and let out a sigh. "I don't know what I could possibly know about Sydney that you don't or that she doesn't, but I'll help you anyway I can, Ali."

She gave him a faint smile. "Thank you, Anthony. I really appreciate this."

He smiled back. "You know, I think it's pretty awesome how much you care about your sister."

"She would do the same thing for me," Ali said, shaking her head. "Except she doesn't cover her tracks very well, so she would've already been caught by mom and Rafe by now."

Anthony laughed. "I would've never pegged you as the sneaky one."

"I'm usually not. But when I need to be, no one suspects a thing," she said proudly.

"Well, just so you know, I'm not too good at the whole 'being sneaky' thing," he warned.

She was slightly surprised. "Considering your last name is DiMera, I find that incredibly hard to believe."

He shrugged. "Maybe you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. You might be surprised by what's inside."

Ali smiled at him. "Maybe I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

><p>"Ty, where are we going?" a blindfolded Sydney asked eagerly as he helped her out of the car.<p>

"You'll see," he replied with a grin.

After a few steps, he took the blindfold off of her. She gasped at the sight before her. There was a candlelight dinner set for two. She felt her feet shift from the sand she was standing on. The river. A candlelight dinner by the river. She was blown away.

"Ty! Did you do all of this?"

"Not really," he admitted. "My dad kind of had all of this set up. Do you like it?"

She grinned. "It's amazing."

"Just like you," he said before realizing just how corny that sounded.

Sydney laughed. "You're sweet."

Ty nodded. "We'll go with that and just forget that I used the cheesiest line ever invented."

"What if I like cheesy lines?" she prompted, moving closer to him.

"Then I can come up with plenty more."

Sydney glanced toward the candlelit table. "You know the food's going to be getting cold."

"Maybe we should eat then."

"Maybe we should."

So they did. Sydney thought the food was delicious. Of course, she knew that it was probably prepared by some world-renowned chef.

"So," Ty said. "Tell me about yourself. I really don't know all that much."

"There's not that much to know," she shrugged. "I'm pretty boring."

He laughed and shook his head. "I'm not buying that one for a second."

"Smart one," Sydney replied, taking a sip from her glass of water. "I don't know. Well, I'm the youngest of three. But you already know that. I test my parents' patience practically on a daily basis. I'm not as smart as my sister, but I do okay in school I guess. Lets see...I have an unhealthy obsession with Italian food. But _real _Italian food, which as I've told my mother over and over again- Olive Garden does not count."

"Oh, it most definitely doesn't count," Ty agreed, his voice teasing.

She grinned. "Okay. Your turn, Mr. Kiriakis. What do I need to know about you?"

He appeared to consider for a moment. "Well, I lived in Florida most of my life with my adoptive parents. We lived on the beach for awhile. It was awesome, waking up to that view every day. It's kind of my favorite place in the world."

Sydney nodded. "Their beaches are beautiful. We went there on vacation a few times."

"Yeah. But anyway, I've always been into music too. People say I can sing pretty good."

"Any chance of you serenading me?" she asked hopefully.

He shook his head. "Sorry. I can't do that without my guitar."

He sang _and _played guitar? Just when Sydney thought he couldn't get more amazing. And he liked _her_? It just didn't make any sense.

"So, what kinds of music are you into?" she wondered.

Ty pulled out his phone, pulled up his music, and handed it to her. "Pretty much everything under the sun."

That was definitely accurate. She scrolled through rock, blues, hip hop, pop, classical, but then stopped when she recognized a slow country song. "I love this song!" she exclaimed, tapping the play button.

"No way," he smiled. Then a thought occurred to him. "Do you maybe want to dance?"

She looked up, surprised. "Sure."

He stood up and held his hand out to her. She took it. He held her close as they began to sway to the music, and she prayed that he wouldn't notice how fast her heart was beating. Her eyes locked with his.

"You're so beautiful," Ty whispered.

Sydney knew that she shouldn't be falling for him this quickly. But she couldn't help it.

"I have a question for you," she said quietly as the song played.

"What?"

"Do you intend on kissing me tonight?"

He smiled. "That depends. Do you want me to kiss you tonight?"

"Well, only if you want-"

He pressed his lips softly onto hers, cutting her off. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. Like one of those moments when you could've sworn that there were fireworks crackling in the background just for your moment. That's when she knew that she was in serious danger of losing her heart. And she was perfectly okay with it.

* * *

><p>Anthony picked at his eggs while his mother drank her coffee across the table from him. Mornings were always quiet in his house, no matter where they were living. Anna glanced at her son. They didn't talk as much as they should. She knew that. She had always feared that she wasn't cut out to be a mother. At least, Carrie had had Marlena in her life. Anthony just had...her.<p>

"Are you alright?" she asked as casually as she could. Because she could see that he wasn't.

He looked up from his plate. "Yeah." A moment of silence passed before he spoke again. "Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," she replied.

Anthony was reluctant to ask his mother about this. But if Ali's parents were scared that he knew something about Sydney, there was a good chance that his mother did know.

"Do you know who Sydney Hernandez is?"

Anna tried to keep a collected expression on her face. "Yes, I know who she is. Why?"

"Well, she goes to school with me. She's really nice. We're kind of friends," he explained.

She sighed, and then her expression turned to one of alarm. "Wait. You don't like her, do you?"

"Uh, no. Not like that," Anthony answered, though he was confused by her question. "But there's a reason I asked. See, Ali- Sydney's sister- she overheard her parents talking about trying to keep Sydney from finding out some kind of secret. And for some reason, they're worried that I know what it is. So I was wondering if you know what they might have been talking about."

Anna didn't respond for a moment. Finally, she looked her son in the eyes. "I can't tell you," she said with regret in her voice. "That's up to Sydney's mother. And I hope that Sami does tell Sydney the truth. But it has to come from her, not me."

Anthony nodded. His mother knew. Whatever it was, she knew.

* * *

><p>Sami was in the kitchen preparing pancakes when her daughters walked into the room, arguing about what exactly had happened on Sydney's date the night before. She was entirely too secretive for Sami's liking.<p>

"Come on, please tell me!" Ali pleaded. "Please!"

"It's not a big deal!" Sydney replied. "Plus, our entire family doesn't need to know what exactly happened on my date."

"Well, it had better have stayed PG," Sami said in a very serious tone, turning to them.

Sydney sighed. "Of course it did."

"Something happened though," Ali commented. "Did you see her face when she walked in last night?"

"Yeah. Because I had a good time!" Sydney said defensively before allowing a small smile to take over her face. "And he may have possibly kissed me."

Ali squealed and hugged her. "I knew it!"

"Oh, honey. That's great," Sami smiled.

"What's great?" Rafe asked as he walked in the room.

Sydney turned to Ali. "Yeah, we should probably be going."

"But we haven't even had breakfast yet," the blonde protested.

Rafe's glance moved from Sydney to Sami. "Okay, what doesn't she want me to know?"

"Ty kissed her," Sami replied with a smile.

His expression changed instantly. "What?"

"It's really not a big deal," Sydney said quickly. "It was just one kiss."

"Not a big deal? You've known this boy for what, a few days?"

"He's a nice guy, Rafe," Ali pointed out.

"And it's not like they're getting married or anything," Sami added. "It was just a date."

Sydney smiled, crossing her arms in satisfaction. "Looks like you're outnumbered, dad."

He let out a sigh. "I just have a really bad feeling that you're going to end up getting hurt."

"You guys don't give me enough credit," she said, glancing between him and Sami. "I mean, I'm sure I will get hurt eventually, but that's pretty much impossible to avoid. You just have to let me make my own mistakes and trust that I'm going to learn from them."

"Just be careful," Rafe said, hugging her.

"I will."

She and Ali left a few minutes later, leaving Sami and Rafe alone.

"I don't like this," he admitted, sitting down on the couch. "I know she's going to want to date, but it just seems like it's moving too fast."

"They're teenagers. Of course it seems that way," she reasoned. "But Ty seems like a nice guy. I mean, he's Parker's brother, and he's been Sydney's best friend since they were kids. It isn't like we know nothing about him."

They heard a rapping at the door and Sami went to answer it, figuring it was probably one of the girls. "Did you forget...", she trailed off when she realized that the person at the door wasn't either of her daughters. "Something."

Anna DiMera gave her a faint smile. "Hello, Sami. It's been awhile."


End file.
